Xingguo Temple Pagoda in Yanling

Xingguo Temple Pagoda in Yanling

Xingguo Temple Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

Xingguo Temple Pagoda in Yanling

Xingguo Temple Pagoda, located 5 kilometers south of Yanling County in Malan Town, derives its name from the temple. The pagoda faces south with its back to the north, bordered by a low-lying area to the west, the newly built southern wall of Xingguo Temple to the east, a major road to the south, and residential houses to the north. The Xingguo Temple Pagoda is a brick-and-stone structure, featuring a nine-story hexagonal pavilion-style design standing 27 meters tall. It consists of three parts: the base, the main body, and the spire. The base has a perimeter of 20 meters, is 1 meter high, and 1 meter thick, later reinforced to a width of 3 meters. Each level of the pagoda body is adorned with brackets, eaves, and decorative floral patterns, with the eaves extending 1 meter outward and six niche doors. The spire is made of iron. The interior of the pagoda is hollow; originally, it had wooden flooring which no longer exists. On the southern and northern sides of the first level, there are semicircular arched doorways. Inside the southern doorway of the first level lies the central chamber, while inside the northern doorway are steps that allow ascent to the second level's southern doorway (niche). From there, one can walk halfway around the eaves to the second level’s northern doorway (niche), then ascend steps to reach the third level. From the third level inward, visitors can climb the inner walls with their feet up to the seventh level. The external structure of the pagoda is rigorous, straight, and elegant—embodying a classic example of Northern Song Dynasty architecture. This pagoda holds significant reference value for the study of ancient Song Dynasty architecture and Buddhist activities. In November 1986, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit of Henan.

Xingguo Temple

Address: Malan Village, Malan Township, Yanling County, Xuchang City, Henan Province

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units